Improv Therapy

I believe that improvisation is an integral part of dance training and expression. It is beneficial for choreographers and dancers alike. Improv is one of the main techniques that was used in my composition classes in college; it helps the choreographer discover their own authentic movement, and that leads to original choreography. Authentic movement is how you move naturally, without thinking of particular steps or technique. But, I believe improv should be practiced in any style of dance, not just in contemporary or modern settings. Just because ballet technique is specific and classical choreography uses steps that you learn in class, does that mean it is not art? What about jazz or tap, where you have a sequence of learned movements or tricks? I think it is important to explore both: authentic movement, and sequencing steps of a different genre as improvisation.

Since there are many different choreographic styles, there should be different styles of improvisation. I'm all about the more natural, organic improv where you discover your authentic movement, but there are times for that and there are times where it's okay to add some technique into your movement. As a teacher or choreographer, make sure you are clear with the guidelines of the improv exercise. Often times, I like to use improv in my ballet technique classes. We'll work on technique for the entire class, then sometimes I'll leave a couple minutes at the end for improv. This is the kind of improv where the dancers are using steps that we learn in class, but they get to sequence their movement together however they like and they get a chance to add their own style to the movement. In techniques like ballet or jazz, you have to stick to strict technique and the class is very structured, so improv in these styles is refreshing for the students.

There are also improv exercises focusing on the emotional aspect of dance. You can choose a specific feeling or scenario and show that through your dancing using different movement qualities. This past Saturday in my lyrical class we did an exercise similar to this. Their recital dance is called "Held Back" and they dance with a rope for half of the piece. This rope represents a person or situation in their lives that holds them back and they can't escape it. There is a feeling of struggle and desperation until they break free from the rope and dance powerfully as a group at the end. So, I had the dancers write down the specific person or event that makes them feel this way and improv while thinking about what they wrote down. The result was beautiful. Everyone was totally committed to their dancing the entire time and I saw the emotion on everyone's faces. This is a great way to practice the emotion or feeling that should be put into choreography.

Improv can be used as an exploration of yourself, a tool for choreography, a fun activity for class, or an emotional exercise. Whatever the purpose is, it is beneficial for dancers to practice moving in their own way. Improv should flow and come naturally. At first you may have to think about it before you get into the swing of things, but the more you do it, the easier it will become. Improv is a way to express yourself, and when you know yourself as a dancer, your dancing in class and on stage is organic and genuine.

A Day in Annapolis

This past Sunday I traveled down to Maryland's lovely capital to audition for The Ballet Theatre of Maryland. The audition was for dancers interested in either being company members, apprentices, or trainees. The company's artistic director, Dianna Cuatto, uniquely combines multiple styles of dance in her repertory. In fact, at the end of the audition when asked what we hope to gain if we were picked, most of the dancers said that they loved the company's variety of works and wanted to expand their versatility. The Ballet Theatre of Maryland is a great place to do that because they perform classical ballets, contemporary ballet pieces, and even include some modern and jazz elements.

This would be a great opportunity to continue my training and gain performance experience in many styles of dance. For example, towards the end of the audition we learned some repertory from a ballet about the four elements. We were taught the dance representing earth, which was very strong and grounded. It was modern en pointe! I loved the unlikely combination and the choreography truly showed the qualities of earth.

Before we learned choreography, we took a ballet class that was almost 2 hours long. This was the main part of our audition because Dianna wanted to see the level of our classical ballet technique. We did barre on flat and changed into our pointe shoes for the rest of class. Not only have I not taken a full pointe class in a while, but this one was extremely difficult! We're talking tricky pirouettes, lots of beats in the jumps, and 16 fouette turns at the end of the grand allegro. The steps included in the combinations were challenging, but so were the combinations themselves. Plus, Dianna never showed anything full out, so we hard to figure it out on our own, and very quickly. I am so glad I went and challenged myself because that's the only way you can improve. This audition was practice in technique, stamina, and picking up choreography. I definitely could have been more prepared with my pointe work, but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger :)

The company is quite small and there were over 30 dancers at the audition (plus another group coming in to audition this weekend), so I'm not sure how many spots there are, but if it doesn't work out it's just on to the next one. No matter what happens at an audition, it's great experience to gain and you're putting yourself out there. The more you audition, the more you will be recognized in the future, and sometimes that makes you more likely to land the job. All you can do is your best, so instead of viewing the other dancers as your competition, try learning from them. When you see everything as a learning opportunity you are constantly growing, and when you are constantly growing you are unstoppable.

Construction

I know it's been a little while since I last posted, but I am currently working on creating multiple tabs for my site. There will be the blog/home page, a page to view more of my dance pictures, and I'm going to add my very first dance reel for everyone to see! The reel is still in its final stages of editing, but I hope to be adding it soon, so stay tuned!


Some more updates:
Along with working on my site, I have an audition for The Ballet Theatre of Maryland coming up this weekend, and a photoshoot later in the month. I will be sure to talk about both :)

Happy dancing!